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Monday, September 7, 2015

Vatican City, 7 September 2015 (VIS) –
This morning the Holy Father received in audience the bishops of the
Portuguese Episcopal Conference, at the end of their “ad Limina”
visit, and subsequently handed them a written discourse in which he
praises, among other things, the growth of synodality as a style of
pastoral life in the country's particular Churches and various
initiatives including the general enquiry on the beliefs and faith of
the Portuguese people, the first response to which is the Note
“Promoting pastoral renewal in the Church in Portugal” (April
2013).

The Pope also emphasised that the
five-yearly reports of the bishops suggest that the Church in
Portugal has more positive than negative aspects and lives serenely,
guided by common sense, and is listened to by the majority of the
population and national institutions, even though her voice is not
always followed. The people are hospitable, generous, religious and
peace-loving, and the episcopate is fraternally united. The priests
are well-prepared both spiritually and culturally, and consecrated
persons are faithful to the charism of their founders, while the
laity expresses in the world the effective presence of the Church.

However, the Pope notes the abandonment
of Christian practice by young people after their confirmation,
precisely at an age at which they take up the reins of future life,
and asked if this is perhaps due to a failure of catechesis to grow
with them and to respond to their questions and concerns. He
therefore invites the bishops to rethink the question of a global
catechetical path covering different ages and offers them
encouragement, recalling that the Lord assures His constant presence
and His infallible assistance to the Church.

Vatican City, September 2015 (VIS) –
“Peace is always possible – religions and cultures in dialogue”
is the title of the 28th International Meeting for Peace, organised
by the Sant'Egidio Community. Twenty years after the end of the war
in the Balkans, it is being held this year in Tirana, Albania from 6
to 8 September. The Meetings follow the trail of St. John Paul II who
attended the first in 1986 in Assisi, Italy.

Below are extensive extracts of the
Holy Father's message to participants, dated 29 August 2015, memory
of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist.

“As historical contexts change and
peoples are called upon to face profound and at times dramatic
transformations, we are increasingly aware of the need for the
followers of different religions to meet, to engage in dialogue, to
journey together and to collaborate for peace, in that 'spirit of
Assisi' that refers to the luminous witness of St. Francis”.

“This year you have chosen to visit
Tirana, the capital of a country that has become a symbol of the
peaceful cohabitation of different religions, after a long history of
suffering. … I wished to choose Albania as the first European
country to visit, precisely to encourage the path of peaceful
coexistence after the tragic persecutions suffered by Albanian
believers during the last century. The long list of martyrs still
speaks to us today of that dark period, but also of the strength of
faith that does not bend to the arrogance of evil. In no other
country in the world has the decision to exclude God from the life of
the people been so strong; even just a religious sign was enough to
warrant punishment with prison, if not death. This deeply affected
the Albanian people, up to the moment at which they regained their
freedom, when the members of the various religious communities,
sorely tested by the suffering they had experienced, were once more
able to live together in peace”.

“It is precisely because it has its
foundations in God that 'peace is always possible', as the title of
your Meeting this year affirms. It is necessary to confirm this
truth, especially today, when in some parts of the world it would
seem that violence, persecution and abuse prevail over religious
freedom, along with resignation to protracted conflicts. We must
never become resigned to war! And we must not remain indifferent to
those who suffer as a result of war and violence. For this reason I
have chosen as the theme of the next World Day of Peace: 'Overcome
indifference and win peace'. But it is also a form of violence to
raise walls and barriers to obstruct those who seek a place of peace.
It is violence to reject those who flee from inhuman conditions in
the hope of a better future. It is violence to discard children and
the elderly from society and from life itself. It is violence to
widen the gap between those who waste the superfluous and those who
lack essentials”.

“In this world, faith in God leads us
to believe and leads us to cry aloud that peace is possible. It is
faith that drives us to trust in God and not to resign ourselves to
the work of evil. As believers we are called upon to rediscover that
universal vocation to peace that lies at the heart of our different
religious traditions, and to courageously offer it again to the men
and women of our time. I reiterate what I said in this respect when
speaking to religious leaders in Tirana: 'Authentic religion is a
source of peace and not of violence! No one must use the name of God
to commit violence! To kill in the name of God is a grave sacrilege.
To discriminate in the name of God is inhuman'”.

Vatican City, 6 September 2015 (VIS) –
The Gospel account of the deaf-mute, which shows how Jesus restores
the full communication of the person with God and neighbour, was the
theme of Pope Francis' reflection during this morning's Angelus
audience.

The Holy Father explained to the
thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square at midday that
the miracle takes place in the area of Decapolis, in pagan territory,
and therefore the deaf-mute brought before Jesus is transformed into
a symbol of the non-believer who completes a journey towards faith.
“Indeed, his deafness expresses the inability to listen and to
understand not only the words of man, but also the Word of God. And
St. Paul reminds us that 'faith comes from hearing, and hearing
through the word of Christ'”.

The first thing Jesus does is to take
the man far from the crowd: “He does not wish to publicise the
gesture He is about to perform, nor does He want His word to be
submerged in the din of voices and the chatter of those around. The
Word of God that Christ communicates to us requires silence so as to
be received as the Word that heals, reconciles and re-establishes
communication”.

Jesus then touches the ears and the
tongue of the man to restore, through touch, the communication that
had been blocked. But the miracle is “a gift that comes from on
high, that Jesus implores from the Father; this is why He lifts His
eyes to the heavens and commands, 'Be opened'. And the deaf man's
ears open, the knot in his tongue is untied and he begins to speak
correctly”.

This passage teaches us that “God is
not closed in on Himself, but instead opens up to and communicates
with humanity. In His immense mercy, He overcomes the abyss of the
infinite difference between Him and us, and comes towards us. In
order to communicate with humanity, God becomes man. It is not enough
for Him to speak to us through the law and the prophets; He makes
Himself present in the person of His Son, the Word made flesh. Jesus
is the great 'bridge-builder' who constructs in Himself the great
bridge of full communion with the Father”.

“But this Gospel also speaks to us
about ourselves”, emphasised the Pope. “Often we are caught up
and closed in on ourselves, and we create many inaccessible and
inhospitable islands. Even the most elementary human relationships at
times create situations incapable of mutual openness; the closed
couple, the closed family, the closed group, the closed parish, the
closed nation … and this is not of God. This is ours, it is our
sin”.

“However, at the origin of our
Christian life, in baptism, precisely this gesture and this word of
Jesus are present: 'Ephthatha!', 'Be opened!'. And the miracle was
performed: we were cured of the deafness of selfishness and the
muteness of closure and sin, and we become part of the great family
of the Church. We are able to hear God Who speaks to us and to
communicate His Word to those who have never heard it, or have
forgotten it, burying it under the thorns of the worries and deceits
of the world”.

Vatican City, 6 September 2015 (VIS) –
After praying the Angelus, Francis launched a heartfelt appeal to all
the dioceses of Europe to welcome families among the tens of
thousands of refugees seeking to flee the horrors of war and
persecution.

“We recognise God's mercy through our
works, as is shown by the life of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta,
the anniversary of whose death we commemorated yesterday”.

“Faced with the tragedy of tens of
thousands of refugees who flee death from war or hunger, on a journey
towards the hope of life, the Gospel calls to us and asks us to be
close to them, to the smallest and the abandoned; to give them real
hope. Not merely to say; 'be brave, be patient'. Christian hope is
assertive, with the tenacity of those who go towards a certain
destination”.

“Therefore, as we near the Jubilee of
Mercy, I wish to address an appeal to the parishes, religious
communities, monasteries and shrines throughout Europe to express the
concreteness of the Gospel and to welcome a family of refugees. A
concrete gesture in preparation for the Holy Year of Mercy. May every
parish, every religious community, every monastery and every shrine
in Europe host a family, starting with my diocese of Rome”,

“I address my brother bishops in
Europe, true pastors, so that in their dioceses they may hear my
appeal, recalling that Mercy is the second name of Love: 'as you did
it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me'. The
two parishes of the Vatican will also welcome two families of
refugees in these days”.

The Pope then went on to mention that
the bishops of Venezuela and Colombia will meet shortly to examine
together the painful situation that has emerged on the border between
the two countries. “I see in this meeting a clear sign of hope. I
invite all, especially the beloved Venezuelan and Colombian peoples,
to pray that, in a spirit of solidarity and fraternity, the current
difficulties may be overcome”.

He also remarked that yesterday in
Gerona, Spain, the women religious Fidelia Oller, Josefa Monrabal and
Facunda Margenat, “killed for their fidelity to Christ and to the
Church”, were proclaimed blessed. Despite threats and intimidation,
these women bravely stayed where they were to assist the sick,
trusting in God. May their heroic witness, unto the shedding of their
blood, give strength and hope to those who are persecuted today for
their Christian faith. And as we know, there are many of them”.

Finally, he spoke about the
inauguration last Friday in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of
the Congo, of the eleventh African Games, in which thousand of
athletes from all over the continent will compete. “I hope that
this great festival of sport will contribute to peace, fraternity and
the development of all the countries of Africa”.

Vatican City, 5 September 2015 (VIS) –
This morning in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis received more than
5,000 members of the “Cells of Evangelisation” from all over the
world, accompanied by the Fr. Piergiorgio Perini, parish priest of
St. Eustorgio in Milan, Italy, who founded this institution whose
statutes were formally recognised by the Catholic Church on 15 April
this year. With the help of their “cells”, parish priests are
able to educate their parishes in evangelisation and to continue
their ordinary pastoral ministry while also giving it a missionary
quality.

This missionary aim requires, above
all, “listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit Who continues to
speak to His Church and to drive her to take paths that are at times
little-known but decisive for the progress of evangelisation.
Remaining always willing to listen and being careful never to become
exhausted by tiredness and the difficulties of the moment, are
conditions for overcoming the various obstacles we encounter on the
path of evangelisation”.

The cells, with their daily commitment
and in communion with other ecclesial entities, help the parish
community to become a family “in which we find the rich and
multiform reality of the Church”. “Meeting in homes to share the
joys and hopes that are present in the heart of every person, is a
genuine experience of evangelisation that closely resembles what took
place in the early years of the Church”, remarked the Pope, noting
that the Cells are “able to welcome all without judging anyone, to
offer the experience of God's presence and love for one's brothers.
Welcome is fundamental to evangelisation, as it is one of the first
signs of the communion to which we are called to bear witness, for
having encountered Christ in our life”.

The Holy Father exhorted the members of
the movement to make the Eucharist the heart of their evangelising
mission, “so that each Cell may be a Eucharistic community where
breaking bread is equivalent to recognising the real presence of
Jesus Christ among us”. “Your statutes were approved on Divine
Mercy Sunday. May you always bear witness to the tenderness of God
the Father and His closeness to everyone, especially the weakest and
loneliest”.

Vatican City, 5 September 2015 (VIS) –
In a letter published today, written in Latin and dated 22 August,
the Holy Father appoints Cardinal Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet,
S.D.B., archbishop of Montevideo, Uruguay, as his special envoy to
the Fifth National Eucharistic Congress of Bolivia, to be celebrated
in Tarija, Bolivia from 16 to 20 September.

The mission accompanying the cardinal
will be composed of Msgr. Diego Luis Espana Gonzalez, vicar general
of the diocese of Tarija, Bolivia, and Fr. Pablo Cesar Alcoba
Miranda, parish priest of the parish Nuestra Senora de Pilcomayo in
Yacuiba and episcopal vicar of the same diocese.

Vatican City, 7 September 2015 (VIS) –
Today, the Holy Father received in audience 40 prelates from the
Portuguese Episcopal Conference, on their “ad Limina” visit, in
two separate groups. In the early morning, he received:

- appointed Cardinal Zenon
Grocholewski, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Catholic
Education, as his special envoy at the concluding celebration of the
500th anniversary of the arrival from Rome of the Sacred Image of the
Madonna of Lask in the shrine of Lask in the archdiocese of Lodz, to
be held on Sunday 8 November.

- accepted the resignation from the
pastoral care of the diocese of Taiohae, Marquis Islands, France,
presented by Bishop Guy Chevalier, SS.CC. upon reaching the age
limit. He is succeeded by Bishop Pascal Chang-Soi, SS.CC., coadjutor
of the same diocese.

- gave his assent to the canonical
election by the Synod of Bishops of the Armenian Patriarchal Church
of Rev. Archpriest Kevork (Georges) Assadourian as auxiliary of the
patriarchal eparchy of Beirut of the Armenians (Catholics 12,500,
priests 22, permanent deacons 3, religious 49), Lebanon. The
bishop-elect was born in Kamichlie, Syria in 1961 and was ordained a
priest in 1986. He studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical
University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) and at the Pontifical
Lateran University, and has served in a number of roles in Lebanon,
including vice rector of the seminary of Bzommar, vicar and parish
priest in several parishes, and bursar. He currently exercises his
pastoral ministry in Paris in the Armenian-Catholic eparchy of
France.

- appointed Archbishop Thomas E.
Gullickson, formerly apostolic nuncio in Ukraine, as apostolic nuncio
in Switzerland and in the Principality of Liechtenstein.

Vatican City, 7 September 2015 (VIS) At
midday tomorrow, Tuesday 8 September, a press conference will be held
in the Holy See Press Office to present the two letters issued “Motu
proprio” by Pope Francis, “Mitis ludex Dominus Iesus” and
“Mitis et misericors Iesus” on the reform of canonical procedure
for the annulment of marriage in the Code of Canon Law (CIC) and the
Code of Canons of the Oriental Churches (CCEO) respectively.

The speakers in the conference, in the
order in which they will intervene, are:

- Msgr. Pio Vito Pinto, dean of the
Roman Rota and president of the Special Commission for the Study of
the Reform of Matrimonial Processes in Canon Law;

- Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio,
president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts and member
of the Special Commission;

- Bishop Dimitrios Salachas, apostolic
exarch of Athens for Greek Catholics of Byzantine Rite and member of
the Special Commission;

- Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria
Ferrer, S.J., secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith and member of the Special Commission;

- Msgr. Alejandro W. Bunge, prelate
auditor of the Roman Rota and secretary of the Special Commission;

- Fr. Nikolaus Schoch, O.F.M.,
substitute promoter of Justice at the Supreme Tribunal of the
Apostolic Signatura and secretary of the Special Commission.